Ashes to dust

Inspired by the Nursery Rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie" that has been associated with the Great Plague of 1665 of England & with earlier outbreaks of the Black Death. A rosy rash, they allege, was a symptom of the plague, and posies of herbs were carried as protection and to ward off the smell of the disease. Sneezing or coughing was a final fatal symptom, and 'all fall down' was exactly what happened. The line Ashes, Ashes in colonial versions of the rhyme is claimed to refer variously to cremation of the bodies, the burning of victims' houses, or blackening of their skin, and the theory has been adapted to be applied to other versions of the rhyme. The performance is an exploration of the act of surrendering, the giving of oneself over to something, an influence, an illness, or death. The yielding of one's power, control, and possession upon the demands of life. It explores issues of transformation, crisis of one’s identity, and completion.

Photos Courtesy of Nathaniel Parson
Performed at The Paper Box NYC for Art For Progress' Mixed Greens Event on Sept 21, 2012